Dreams in the Clouds
by Adelina Fontana
Summary: After her hometown was destroyed years ago by the war, Adelina lost contact with her father who is fighting and is found and taken to a hidden city by Ms. Tallie who took in lost and orphaned children. Dio crash lands in the city and is hidden by Adelina until the guild comes to reclaim him, meanwhile Ade finds herself falling in love..
1. Chapter 1 Ade the Adventurer

"Ade! Ade!" Samia called, searching for me. I could hear her pattering footsteps ascending the stairs and rushing into our room. I sat up. "Ade!" She poked her head out the old, second story window. "You shouldn't be up there Ade!" She scolded with her sweet 11 year old voice. "It's dangerous to be on the roof!"

I sat up and smiled at her as a gust of late spring wind swept through the small town of Blythe. It danced through my long brown hair, and then moved on to Samia's.

Samia always worried about me. I was always looking for an adventure which meant "trouble" to Samia, but she was also up for a good adventure.

I hated my life here at the orphanage. It's been about five years since I came here; when I was Samia's age. I was brought to this small town that was conveniently built in a small crater left by the still ongoing war. I heard that they built the town here so people had a place to hide from the war, and especially, from the Clave. All I know about the Clave is that they're bad people. Nobody talks about them.

I stood up and looked over our small, well hidden town and sighed, each building the same with white bricks, and blue metal roofs. I wish I could leave. Most of all; I wish I could be up in the clouds. To be able to touch them and feel the rush of adrenaline that I love to feel. One day I'll escape.

"Ade! Snap out of it! It's time for breakfast!" Samia called, pushing her long black hair out of her face.

I came back to reality. I was always deep in thought. Always dreaming.

My stomach growled.

I smiled and walked to the edge of the metal roof. Samia got out of the way of the old window. I grabbed the edge above the window, jumped off the edge, and swooped into our room. She smiled and ran downstairs. I followed at her heels, our bare feet pattering atop the wooden floor.

Samia won the race downstairs and fell onto her chair at the table. She was always a klutz. The other two orphans looked at her. The boy laughed while the girl appeared to giggle, no noise coming from her covered mouth.

There were only the four of us at the orphanage. Tamika, the boy, had a reputation of being bossy. He earned himself the title; prince. His red hair should be taken as a warning of his personality. The girl is Katima. She has short blond hair. She is the same age as Tamika. They are 9 years old. Katima is bossed around the most by the prince. She barely speaks. The only reason she puts up with his bossiness is because she likes him.

I sat down as Samia dusted off her green dress and joined us.

We heard a clang under the table.

"Kat!" Tamika summoned.

Kat stopped eating and looked at him. Expression: What?

"I dropped my fork." Prince smartly answered.

I rolled my eyes and looked under the table at the bent up silverware. "Seriously?" You idiot. "That's a spoon, Tamika."

"No, it's a fork."

I glared at him. "Since when are forks round?"

"Since I became prince!" He proudly exclaimed. "Now pick up that spoon and bring me a fork!" Kat obeyed.

"Oh so now it's a spoon." I smirked.

"Yea... Well... Shut up, Adelina!"

Kat gave him a fork and resumed eating.

"Wheres Ms. Tallie?" Kat's hushed voice spoke up.

"She had to take on a second job." Samia answered. "Which means we won't see her as much, anymore..."

We finished eating. The prince and his servant fled from the table and ran outside to play in the field that was our backyard.

"Of course we have to clean up after his royal highness!" I complained to Samia while starting the dishes.

She smiled and found a clean rag to dry. When we finished the dishes, we swept the floor.

"So." Samia asked. "What do you wanna do today?" She waited for a response, knowing it was bound to be filled with trouble.

"I was thinkin'..." I started. "That we could go shopping!"

Samia's eyes lit up at the sound of the adventure. We had gone "shopping" a couple of times, but our shopping was different. It required something valuable, a diversion, and running away.

I retrieved my purple satchel, put it over my shoulder, and fixed my short, light blue dress. I then pulled down my darker blue capris that I had rolled up under it. We slipped on our matching, black boots.

We told his highness that we were leaving, and left the house. We roamed our long cobblestone street that matched the bricks the houses were built out of. We followed the street straight up to the Circle.

Located in the center of town, the Circle is mainly used for trade and shops. The shops and businesses surround it while a few tents are in the middle. It is always busy with people.

I looked at the crowd of people. Samia held my hand, afraid she might get lost. I looked at all the businesses. In Blythe, you are considered an adult when you get a job. Unfortunately, you can't get a job until you're 16. The bad thing is that I've just turned 16-

"Ade, you're doing it again." Samia pointed out.

"What?"

"That look on your face. When you zone out you always cock your head." She smiled. I love to make her smile. "What are you thinking about?"

"Jobs are stupid..." I sighed. " Any day now I know that Ms. Tallie will set me up with a job..."

"That means that you will be an adult.."

I sighed. "I don't ever wanna grow up!"

"Me either!" Samia agreed.

We searched among the shops, ignoring the tents which were notorious for selling knock offs. We didn't know what we were looking for until we reached a pawn shop. We pressed our faces into the glass window, looking at the beauty behind it.

"Wow, Samia! Look at all that Claudia!" I exclaimed, looking at the glowing, blue object with my green eyes. "It looks as big as a helmet!"

"That things probably worth a fortune!" Samia commented, never taking her glowing eyes off it. She pushed her glasses closer to her matching green eyes.

"How do you think they got it?"

"Someone probably stole it and traded it for something more valuable." A voice answered from behind us.

We turned around to see a tough looking man wearing mechanics clothes. He reeked of oil. He smiled down at us.

"Why are you two girls so interested in that much Claudia? Do you own a vanship?" He questioned, curious.

My father used to fly vanships. He always said that he would take me for a ride in it when I was old enough, but he was called for duty with the army before I came of age. I had no other family to live with so I was sent to the orphanage when my hometown was attacked. I haven't heard from my dad since.

"Yes." Samia lied.

"I'm the pilot!" I proudly exclaimed, pointing at myself.

"And I'm her navigator!"

The man smiled. "Well good luck with you're flying!" He then left.

We returned our attention to the Claudia, planning our next move. We knew exactly what to do. We were going to steal it.


	2. Chapter 2 Claudia

Samia took her green eyes off of the Claudia and looked at me. She smiled and nodded, telling me that she was ready for the fun. I took my gold ribbon from my satchel and tied it around my head in a bow to keep my bangs out of my face. Samia adjusted her glasses.

We casually walked into the store. It was a small pawn shop for buying and trading equipment for vanships. The store was empty of people except for an older man behind the counter. He watched as Samia left my side and approached him. I pretended to look around. Samia began the diversion.

"How can I help you, young lady?" The older man asked from behind the counter.

"I was wondering if you had a parts catalog for a vanship." Samia answered.

I smiled. This was her best diversion yet.

"Which kind of vanship?"

"Kind?"

I made my way near the Claudia.

"What year is your vanship design? Most vanships require a different kind of part depending on what year it was designed in."

Samia smiled and gave him a year.

"I'll have to check our files in the back." He pointed behind him.

"That's fine. I can wait here."

We watched as the man turned and left. Samia came over to me.

"Ready?" I smiled.

She nodded and smiled back, ready to run for it. I greedily wrapped my fingers around the glowing, blue Claudia and carefully pulled it up and out of the cushioned box it was in. As I was putting it in my satchel, another, much younger, man came in the store. He looked my age.

His brown eyes stared at me and my sister. I could see the words in his expression. You're stealing! My heart started racing as I stuffed the Claudia in my satchel. I grabbed Samia's hand and ran toward the brown-haired boy. He tried to stop us, but I elbowed him in the stomach. Samia thrust the door open.

We ran as fast as we could from the store. The boy followed fast on our heels.

"Stop!" He ordered. "That's not yours!"

Of course it's not ours!

We quickly left the Circle and made a sharp, sudden turn to try and loose him. He followed us with no trouble. I frantically searched my surroundings for something useful to avoid getting caught.

"Stop!" The boy tried again.

I quickly noticed the mechanics shop up ahead and decided our escape. I took Samia's hand.

"You ready to do something stupid?" I gasped.

Samia nodded. "I trust you!"

I set my eyes on the vanship about to take off and quickened my pace, dragging Samia with me.

"We have to run faster!" I ordered, on the verge of exhaustion.

Samia nodded and we pressed forward with a grunt. We quickly approached the vanship about to take off. Once we were beside it I climbed onto the back.

"Hey kid!" The navigator yelled. "Get off! This is dangerous!"

I ignored her and began to lift Samia up. Just then the vanship left the ground. I held on tight to Samia who was dangling over the side of the ship.

"Adelina!" She screamed. "Pull me up! Pull me up!"

"We need to land!" The navigator called to the pilot.

"How am I supposed to land? The only way is to turn back around!"

My grip began to slip. Samia screamed over the vanship engine.

"Don't let go of me!" She yelled, closing her teary eyes.

"I won't!" I turned to the navigator. "Can you fly down lower? We'll jump down onto one of the roofs!"

"What the hell is wrong with you kids?" The pilot yelled.

"Slowing speed!" The navigator reported.

"Reducing altitude!" The pilot answered, lowering the vanship.

The rooftops were just below Samia's feet. I just had to time it right. My hands slipped again.

"Adelina!"

"Do you. Trust me?" I asked, counting roof after roof and the gaps between them.

Samia nodded and closed her eyes. "Yes!"

At that instant I let go. Samia fell the short distance onto one of the roofs and did a few rolls before stopping near the edge. She quickly sat up to watch me. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

I began counting the roofs and the gaps again, focusing on the right time to jump. I then thrust myself off of the whirring vanship. For a few short seconds I was flying. I glided through the air and soon made contact with the hard surface of the metal roof. I tumbled a few times, the world spinning around me, and then settled into a slide.

Samia stood up and started hopping across the roofs to get to me.

"Ade!" Samia yelled once she jumped onto the roof I was on.

I smacked my hands down onto the roof to stop myself from sliding. I drastically slowed until I finally came to a stop, my feet dangling off the edge. Samia caught up to me and helped me up. We sat on the roof.

"We lost him." I pointed out. I started laughing, exhausted.

Samia looked at me like I was crazy. "You think that was funny?" She yelled. I stopped laughing. "I almost died!"

"I said we were gonna do something stupid!" I defended myself.

Samia rolled her eyes. I hated how she did this. We would do something fun like this and then she would feel guilty or angry about the adventure we just had.

She sighed. "Is the Claudia okay?"

I quickly undid the tie on my satchel and lifted the flap to see the large Claudia stone. I pulled it out and searched it with my hands.

"It's chipped!" Samia exclaimed, finding the chipped piece in my satchel in two pieces. "It must of broke when you landed on the roof!"

"That's okay!" I smiled. "If you hold on to those pieces we can make something out of it!"

Samia put them in her dress pocket. "I think this was the best adventure we've ever done!"

"Agreed!" I stood, looking at the setting sun. "We should head back..."

Samia also stood. "Yea."

We ran from rooftop to rooftop until we reached our street on the edge of town. We then slid down a gutter pipe onto the street and hurried into the house. We were relieved to find that Ms. Tallie wasn't home yet. We didn't want to have to explain our little adventure. We took off our boots and set them beside the door.

We raced each other to our room where I went to my bed.

"I'm going to hide it here." I told Samia who was sprawled out on her bed already. I wrapped a light blue cloth around it and slid it carefully under my bed.

"Okay." Samia answered, sitting up. Her stomach growled.

"I should go make dinner."

Samia smiled. "Or the prince will be-head you for sure!"

"Oh no!" I played along, grabbing my neck and sticking my tongue out.

We both went back downstairs where Tamika and Katima were sitting at the table. I began making dinner.

"What are we having?" Tamika asked.

"Soup." I answered.

"But I don't want soup!" He complained.

"Well that's too bad!" I said, turning on the fire and putting the ingredients into the pot.

"I'm the prince! I order you to make something better!"

I stirred it. "I don't care if you don't want it. You won't eat then."

The prince shut up.

Samia smiled and set the table. I knew she looked up to me. We were like sisters. Samia handed me the bowls while I filled them with food. When we were all seated, Ms. Tallie came in. She smiled at her children, a tired and weary smile. She took her seat next to her actual daughter, Samia.

I always marveled at how much they looked alike. Both had long black hair and bright green eyes. Ms. Tallie looked so young for her age and worked so hard for this family.

When we finished eating, Samia and I did the dishes while the other two went to bed. When the dishes were done, we also went up to bed. Samia lit the candle on her desk and retrieved the two chips of Claudia from her pocket. I laid myself down in my bed and quickly fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Neeeeeeyyyyyyrrrrrrr!" I sat on the front of my father's vanship, my arms extended out. They swayed to and fro, cutting through the wind; The early spring breeze swooshing around my hands.

My father came out of our small house and approached me with a big smile on his face. "Happy Birthday!" He proclaimed, handing me a small blue box.

I took it eagerly and tore it open. I pulled out the object that was inside. It was a ribbon. A shiny, gold ribbon. My eyes lit up as I tied my short hair out of my face.

"Glad you like it!" He smiled. "It was your mother's"

I looked up at him with a small, sentamental grin. I had never met my mother. She died when I was born. The only family I had was my father.

"How old are you now?" He joked, picking me up off of the vanship and into his arms.

"Daddy!" I said in a "you should know this" tone. "I'm eleven!"

He set me on the ground. "You know what that means?" He smiled, raising my hopes.

"What!" I jumped up and down with excitement.

"On your next birthday, we will fly the vanship together!"

I exhaled, disappointed. "Why?" I whined. "Why do I have to wait 'til next year?"

"Because." He explained. "I want you to be tall enough to see over the edge of the vanship."

Next year.

We agreed that on my 12th birthday, I would get to go on my first ride in my father's vanship. I would be the pilot while he navigated. In the past years I sat in the pilot's seat with my father as he explained how to operate it. I know how to fly one, I just haven't had the actual experience.

"Adelina!" I heard a small, four year old voice call.

I turned around and looked down the long driveway at the small girl running towards me, a big grin on her face. Her father followed quickly behind, his expression stating that he had important news. That man was my father's best friend and navigator. His daughter was my best friend, despite our age difference. She enveloped me in a big hug.

"Happy Birfday!" Mieko shouted, happily.

I smiled at her and looked up at our fathers.

"We're being called for duty." Mieko's father, Akihiro, reported sadly.

"When?"

"As soon as possible..."

"Knowing the commander, that means now." My father looked at him seriously. "What's it for?"

"The Guild is on its way here. We think they're going to destroy the city." Akihiro stated.

My father sighed and looked down at me. "Adelina. I need you to stay here and look after Mieko. You need to stay in the house."

I nodded. He enveloped me in a big hug while Akihiro did the same to his daughter. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"I'll be back..." My father assured. "I'm not sure how long..." He and Akihiro climbed into their spots in the vanship and prepared it.

I took Mieko by the hand, out of the way. They started up the vanship.

"Be careful!" I yelled over the engine. Mieko clutched my hand as our fathers took off down the drive and gracefully left the ground.

We both watched as they flew away towards town and out of sight. I then took Mieko inside.

"Why do dey have to go?" Mieko asked, near tears.

Like me, Mieko didn't have any other family than her dad. We were like sisters.

"They are going to protect us." I answered, looking out the window towards town. The sun was beginning to set. I could see the large fighter ships our town had as a defense.

"Why does dere have to be a war?..."

I looked at her. She quietly began to cry. She was afraid.

Afraid that the Clave was going to destroy our home.

Afraid that our fathers weren't going to return.

I had no words to comfort her. I could only look out the window to see if I could watch the air battle that was set to take place soon.

I only saw our ships.

So many people up in the air just to keep us safe, way down here.

"What do you think dey look like?" Meiko asked. She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.

"Who? The Guild?"

She nodded.

"Wouldn't they look just like us?"

"I don't tink so..." Mieko commented. "I wonder why dey take tings away from us... And dey never show who dey are..."

I thought about what she said for a while. Why do they take things from us? They take all of our firstwater... All of our good crops... I sighed and pushed the thought out of my head. Mieko sat at the table.

I moved the curtains aside from the window and looked for the ships. I was surprised to find that they were so close to our house. Far up in the sky our ships slowly glided towards my house. I took a deep breath and held it as the ships slowed to a stop.

Why are they stopping?

Mieko looked at me from the table. "What is it Adelina?" She climbed down from the chair.

"They just... Stopped..." I answered looking up at the ships. Our fathers were up there somewhere. Did they know that they were so close to home? Will they come and get us?

"Stopped?"

I went over to the door and put my hand on the handle. "Meiko. You stay in here."

"But!"

"Don't worry! I'm just gonna run outside and see what's going on." I opened the wooden door. Mieko stood in the doorway as I stepped out onto the grass.

The air around me that was once quiet, was now replaced with the hum of the ships. Some of the vanships were already flying about the darkening sky. I then turned around.

My heart skipped a few beats.

Over my wooden home, I saw multiple star-shaped ships scattering the sky. They too were stopped. It was like they were having a staring contest.

I marveled at how advanced their ships looked compared to ours. They were so beautiful.

The staring contest quickly came to a stop as a large enemy ship shot out two blue disks of light towards one of ours. Once it made contact with the ship, it exploded into an array of smaller blue disks that scattered around it. My home became the battlefield.

"Adelina!" Mieko called from the doorway.

I looked at her and then back up at the war. "I think we nee-"

A loud explosion rung through my ears as one of our larger ships was hit. It began to plummet down to us.

Mieko screamed. I ran back to her, calculating the crash coarse of the ship. Of all the places in this countryside, it was set to land on our home.

I grabbed Mieko's hand and dragged her out of the house.

"We have to leave!" I yelled over the engines of the falling ship. We dashed forward, under the war.

I turned around to see it crash into my house and explode. The explosion lit up the darkening world around it, and caught the barn on fire. I continued running as the explosions, firing, and engines became louder and louder. All sorts of debris rained down from the sky like falling stars. Whole vanships and starships clattered to the ground around us. We kept on running away, never letting go of eachother's hand.

I smiled. We were going to make it.

Just then, I saw a bright blue light out of the corner of my eye. I turned towards it, Mieko screamed as it smacked onto the ground beside us.

That was it. The scream was replaced with a loud boom. The boom then faded into nothing, my body becoming weightless.

Loosing feeling of my body.

My mind just

I felt myself reconnect with the ground.

A sharp pain to the head.

Black.

I quickly sat up in my bed, trying to catch my breath. I turned to see Samia looking at me deep in thought. She sat at the side of her bed.

"You were having that dream again, weren't you?" She asked, serious.

"Yes." I answered. I had told her my dream before. Re-living that terrible day. I never told her all of it though. "How'd you guess?"

"Mieko... You were calling for someone named Mieko..." My spine prickled. "Who's Mieko?"

I took a deep breath. "She was my best friend... Only four years old... When my house was destroyed we ran away. When I thought we were gonna make it away safely... A missile landed near us... We were thrown into the air... We smacked into one of the enemy's fallen ships and blacked out... Well... I did at least... When I woke up the battle was still going on. When I looked over at the ship I hit...

There was blood splattered all over the wing...…

And Mieko…

Was…

Dead."

Samia stood up and gathered me in a big hug. "Feel better now?"

Oddly, I did. I nodded.

"Good." She smiled. She then put something into my hand and scurried downstairs.

I looked down at the object in my hand. It was a bracelet, made from one of the chipped pieces of the Claudia. I put it on and got dressed. When I got downstairs, Ms. Tallie was waiting for me. My time had come. My childhood was over. The children sat at the table and ate.

"Come on." Ms. Tallie called. "There's no time to eat breakfast, Adelina."

I followed her out of our home and into the streets. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to grow up. Not now!

"Unfortunately, you wont be working with me." Ms. Tallie stated. She looked back at me. "Are you paying attention?"

"Yes ma'am!" I answered.

"The only place I could find a job for you was at the Mechanics." She sighed. "It's not a place for a woman... But it has a good pay." We stopped at one of the street corners. "It's down there." She pointed down the familiar street. "I'll see you when I get home."

She then took off the opposite way. I made my way down the large street looking at each of the buildings that I ran past yesterday. The mechanics shop was already open so I stepped in. It smelled of oil. I looked around the small building. It had four garage doors, two on one side. Inside a door was a little office. An accountess sat behind a counter, absorbed in her work. Three vanships were already being repaired.

I took a deep breath and walked up to the accountess. She ignored me.

"Excu-" I spoke.

"You're Adelina Fontana?" She quickly cut me off, not looking up from her work.

"Yes."

"Mamoru!" Her voice echoed through the shop. "She's here!"


	4. Chapter 4

"So, it's you!" Mamoru smiled down at me. I instantly recognized him from yesterday. He was the man Samia and I talked to in front of the store. "Follow me."

I followed him out into the shop. He called his crew over. There were four of them, counting Mamoru.

"This is our newest additon to our shop. Her name is Adelina." He then started with the introductions. "I am Mamoru, the head of this shop. That man there is Takeo. We call him blondie though. That's Steven with the glasses, and that young man is Hajime."

Hajime and I stared at eachother with rivalry. The other men went back to work.

"You're that thie-" Hajime started. I quickly grabbed him by the arm and slammed him on the ground.

"You say anything about that and i'll break your arm!" I said, twisting his arm behind his back.

Mamoru laughed. "I guess you two have already met. Hajime, your partner will be Adelina."

Hajime pushed me off of him and stood up. "What? Why am I stuck with her!"

"Don't I feel welcome." I said under my breath.

"Because I said so. Now I want you two to go pick up these parts and then resume your regular duties." He handed Hajime some money and a piece of paper. He then left.

"Great." Hajime muttered. "Stuck with the thief."

I elbowed him in the stomach. "I have a name you know! Call me Ade."

"Let's go." I followed Hajime out of the store and into the streets. "I should just turn you in right now."

"What for? I was just having a little fun!"

"Fun? Since when is stealing fun? It's a crime!"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

"What did you need all that Claudia for anyway?"

"Nothing. We just liked it, so we took it."

Hajime facepalmed. "What is wrong with you?" He said to himself.

My stomach growled. I haden't eaten anything since yesterday. "I'm hungry..."

"We'll eat lunch when we're done with this job."

We entered a parts store and went to the counter. Hajime asked for the parts and paid the man. We both recieved two boxes that were large and heavy. We carried them all the way back to the shop. We set them down near a large shelf and opened them.

"Now what?" I asked, fixing my dress.

"We stock the shelves." He answered, stacking the smaller boxes of parts with their matches.

We restocked the shelves until our boxes were empty. Hajime took the boxes and threw them away. He looked at me strangely.

"What?" I asked, a little annoyed.

"You can't work on a vanship in a dress!" He scolded. He went over to the lockers and pulled out an extra dark blue uniform and handed it to me. "Go into the bathroom over there and change. I'll get you a key for your locker."

I nodded and went to the small bathroom to change. I slid my purple dress off and neatly folded it up. I then put the uniform on over my capris and black tanktop. I zipped up the front of the uniform and looked at myself in the mirror. The bottom half fit perfectly, while the top was bulky. I unzipped it halfway and tied the sleeves around my waist. I then tied my hair up with my golden ribbon. When I went back out, Hajime was waiting for me beside the lockers, annoyed. He threw me the small, orange key.

"Took you long enough. Your locker is number five." Hajime stated, pulling his lunch out of his locker.

I put my dress in my locker and joined Hajime, who was sitting on the floor. He began eating his food. My stomach growled.

I wish I had lunch.

Mamoru, Blondie, and Steven joined us. My stomach growled again. Mamoru looked at me.

"You didn't bring anything to eat?" Mamoru asked.

"I didn't have time." I answered.

"Then you should wake up earlier!" Hajime scolded.

I punched him in the shoulder. "I didn't know I had this job until this morning!"

Steven handed me half of his sandwich. I thanked him and ate it happily. Hajime rolled his eyes. I stopped myself from hitting him again.

When we were done eating, Hajime lead me back out to the shop where a beat up, old vanship pulled in. Blondie hopped out of it and turned it off as we approached.

"It's all yours!" Blondie exclaimed. "Just don't wreck it up more than it already is!"

Hajime smirked and grabbed a clipboard. He handed it to me. It was a clipboard with a checklist and a pencil. We serveyed the damaged ship.

"What's this for?" I asked, reading down the list.

"It's a checklist, so we know exactly what's wrong with the ship and what parts and equipment to use." Hajime walked around the ship. "It should be easy enough for you to do the checklist. I'll repair it so you don't have to get your hands dirty."

I glared at him. While he told me the ships damages, I checked them on the checklist. When we were done with that part, he took the clipboard.

"So..." He read it. "The letters are what parts we need." He pointed to the letters beside the checks. "And the numbers are what tools we need." He then pointed at the letters. "You get the parts. I'll get the tools."

I read the checklist. "Okay, I need A, Z, y, a, Q, M, and p." I sat it down and went to the large shelves, repeating the letters. "A, Z, y, a, Q, M, p. A, Z, y, a, Q, M, p. A, Z, y, a, Q, M, p."

I quickly found each part and returned to our ship. I set the parts on the table. Hajime started working. He climbed on top of the front of the ship and opened the hood where he began repairing.

" Q." He held his hand out.

I opened the small box and took out a small pipe. I handed it to him.

"y." I opened the box and handed it to him. He shut the hood and slid off. Hajime then crawled under the vanship.

"Z." I handed him some wires. He worked quickly.

Mamoru walked over to us. "Okay, kids. It's closing time."

Hajime ignored him and continued working. "Let me finish this first."

Mamoru stayed next to me. "Hajime would be here all night if I didn't kick him out everyday."

I smiled. "Come on, Hajime! I'd like to go home today!"

"I'm almost done with this!" He answered from under the vanship. "There! I'm done." He slid out and stood up, setting his tool on the table.

Mamoru waited as I went to my locker and got my dress. Hajime came in. I gave his uniform back. I left as he put it back in his locker. I saw the accountess leave, using crutches.

What happened to her?

I left the mechanics and started towards home. I made my way through the empty streets as the sun began to set. When I got home, I was greeted by the children. They all ran to me, eagerly yelling my name.

"What kind of a job did you get?" Samia asked excitedly.

"I work at the mechanics. The one we ran past yesterday." I happily answered. I sat down at the table. The children followed.

"Do you know anyone there?" Tamika asked.

"No one you would care about." I replied, flatly. I turned to Samia. "You know that kid that caught us yesterday?" Samia nodded eagerly. "It turns out, he works there. His name is Hajime."

"You have to work with him? What if he tells?" Samia asked worriedly.

"He won't." I smiled. "I already threatened to rip his arm off."

When dinner was finished, Ms. Tallie came home, and we ate. Samia and I did the dishes as usual and then hurried upstairs. The Claudia under my bed and around our wrists glowed in the darkness. I sat on my bed with the large rock in my lap and stared at it.

"What are we gonna do with it?" Samia asked, looking at it from her bed.

"I dunno..." I looked at her. "What do you think we should do with it?"

Samia sighed. "We'll think of something..."

I yawned. "Goodnight."

"Night."

I covered the Claudia back up and slid it back under my bed. We both laid down in our beds, our bracelets glowing in the darkness. I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

I woke up, the war still going on in the air above me. My ears rang from the explosion, and my head hurt. I slowly sat up in the grass and looked around. Debris and falling ships still fell around me. I immediately remembered Mieko.

I quickly looked behind me to see a fallen starship. It's bottom wing carved itself down deep into the earth. A small crevace lay beside me. One of it's wings barely hung onto the ship. I felt my aching head and used the starship to help myself up.

There was a large explosion as another of our ships burst into flames and began it's decent down.

When I fully stood up, my legs shaking, I called for Mieko.

I couldn't hear my voice. My ears had stopped ringing. I tried to call for her again. My voice was gone. Just air exited my mouth.

I didn't need to call for her. I left my place at the wing of the starship and staggered forward.

I first saw the opposite wing.

Splattered with blood.

My heart started beating faster. The world around me seemed to go in slow motion as my eyes scanned down to the grass.

She laid there.

Her little body.

Her small blond curls stained with blood.

I found myself on my knees, trying to steady my breath. I put my hand to my aching stomach, trying to keep myself from convulsing. I closed my eyes.

She can't be dead. She was just fine a few minutes ago. Hours ago she was laughing

I saw her running towards me, yelling my name with her cute voice

Akihiro trusted me. He trusted me to take care of her. To keep her safe.

I opened my teary eyes and took a deep breath. I had to check. She may not be dead. I struggled to stand up. I staggered around the crevace to Mieko. I fell to my knees next to her.

She layed face down in the grass.

My hands shook violently as I reached carefully over her body. I rested them on her arm and took a deep, shakey breath before I turned her over as nicely as I could.

Her eyes were closed.

Her skin was cold.

My vision blurred with tears. She can't be dead. She can't be!

But she was.

I started crying. I failed to protect her.

She looked so peaceful despite the war going on above us.

I tried so hard to stop crying. My body hiccuped and I wailed, my voice somewhat returning. I pressed my hands to my eyes. I warily stood up and left. I staggered down the rest of the driveway and stopped at the end. I looked down at the city in the near distance from the hill I was standing on.

Multiple Guild ships are on their way here. We think they're going to destroy the city

I heard Akihiro's voice repeat in my head.

I wiped the remaining tears from my eyes and looked at the starships surrounding the city. They shot at it. It was on fire. They dove deep into the city. I heard the distant screams of the citizens. My heart would of broke, if it had not been broken already.

"Hey!" A woman's voice called from behind me.

I didn't respond. My eyes were fixed on the burning city. The woman approached me.

"Hey." She grabbed my arm. "Are you okay?"

I yanked my arm out of her grip fiercely, causing me to fall over. I attempted to scream, but my voice was gone again. I looked up at the woman, releived. I thought she was a Guild member. She looked at me, sympathetically. Her little daughter hid behind her leg.

"It's okay." She calmly held her hand out. I reluctantly took it. "Where's your family?"

She lifted me up. I looked up at her and then down at her daughter. They looked so much alike. I tried to mouth words, but I just broke down into tears. Something in the town exploded in the distance.

"It's okay." She comforted. "I know a safe place we can go. Away from the war-" She looked up at the approaching Guild ships. "and away from the Guild."

I opened my eyes and slowly sat up in bed. I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked over at Samia who was still asleep. I sat up against the wall and hugged my knees.

I sighed and got up. I had to get ready for work. I got dressed as the summer sun began to rise. It was the first day of summer.

The house was quiet as I stealthly decended the creaky stairs. The children were still in bed and Ms. Tallie had her day off of work today. I quickly ate breakfast and left the house, putting on my satchel that contained my lunch. When I left my street, I met up with the accountace. We walked down the street for a while in silence. A few rainbirds flew overhead.

She pushed her short, red bangs out of her face and looked at me. "Your Alen's daughter, aren't you? Alan Fontana?"

I quickly looked up at her, surprised that she would know my father, considering that he was still fighting in the war. "Yes! Have you talked to him?" I held my breath excitedly.

"I have." She looked ahead. "I fought on the same ship as him before I was injured."

"What did he say?" I asked excitedly, like a child asking; what did you get me!

"He talked about the town he used to live in that was completely destroyed by the Guild."

They completely destroyed it?

"And Alan and his friend, what was it? Ami-"

"Akihiro!" I answered eagerly.

"Yes. Alan and Akihiro told me about how they had to leave their children alone in the city..." She looked down at me sadly. "They thought that you were dead."

I caught my breath. Did they recognize my house from the sky? Did they see the ship crash into the house? She inturrupted my ranting thoughts.

"But when they returned to their destroyed homes, they searched the rubble. Alan never found your body." I gripped my satchel strap. "So now he thinks that you're either with the Guild as a prisioner, which I doubt they'd ever take prisioners, or you died somewhere else he hasn't searched."

We entered the shop. "When I heard this, I suggested that you may be here."

"What did Akihiro say?" I wondered if he found Mieko.

"He didn't say much." She opened her locker and put her things inside.

I did the same. "By the way." I said. "You never told me your name."

"Grace." She smiled and handed me a uniform. "Here, you can keep this one."

I took it. "Thanks!" I smiled and ran off to change while Grace went to the desk.

When I was changed, I put my clothes into my locker and locked it. Hajime looked at me from the door.

"Come on!" He called. "We have to finish repairing the vanship!"

I rolled my eyes. "Quit rushing me!"

"I wouldn't have to rush you if you would get here on time!"

I stuck my tongue out at him and followed Hajime to our vanship. The other guys came in and started their work. I handed Hajime the parts he asked for. He worked quickly and quietly. I sat on the table and kicked my legs.

"I saw some rainbirds today." I broke the silence.

"I did too, no big deal." Hajime harshly answered.

"Do you think the rain will be bad this year?" I ignored his jerkiness.

"I dunno." He put his hand out from under the vanship for the next part. I picked it up, hopped off of the table, and handed it to him.

"Do you ever think that the city could flood?"

"No. I think about working. Because that's what we're supposed to be doing."

"Who cares about working? It's too quiet and too boring!"

Hajime came out and went to the opposite side of the metal ship. He wiped the sweat from his face. "I care." He put his hand out for the next part.

I gave it to him. "How can you be so boring? You're still a kid!"

Hajime stopped working and looked at me like I was crazy. "Still a kid?" He gave a short half laugh. "You know as well as I do that when we become 16, we are to get a job. That's when we're considered an adult."

I shook my head. "But it shouldn't be that way!" He shook his head and resumed working. "We shouldn't be forced to grow up!"

Hajime sighed. "We don't have a choice. That's the way it is around here, and we can't do anything about it." He set his tools on the table and smiled approvingly at the repaired vanship. "There! It's done!"

I sighed, dropping the subject. "Now what?"

Hajime climbed up into the vanship and sat in the driver's seat. I looked at him confused. He started it up, making the engine humm through the garage. Hajime looked at me, waiting.

"What are you waiting for?" I stared at him cluelessly. He sighed loudly, annoyed. "Get in!"

I climbed up into the navigator's seat and looked at the dials and switches. I looked at it admiringly.

"Everything good?" He asked.

"Yea!"

"Okay. Increase the acceleration just a little" He took off the break. "now!"

I searched for the little lever and found it near my seat. I increased it a little. "What are we doing?"

The vanship exited the garage and turned. The hot summer sun beat down on us. I looked down the long street that acted as our runway. The few people that were on the streets watched us, standing out of our way.

"We have to test fly it to make sure we made all the right repairs." He looked back at me with a big grin. "We can't just have our customers crashing because of our little mistakes."

Little mistakes?

Does that mean that if we made 1 little mistake, we would crash?

I shook my head. He was trying to make me scared. I put my hand to my butterfly filled stomach. I had never actually flown in a vanship before. This was my first time.

Without my father.

"Ready?" He excitedly asked.

I took a deep breath and smiled, ready for the adventure. "Yup!" I took hold of the acceleration lever. "Accelerating to half speed!"

I pushed it forward slowly, making the vanship start to edge forward. Hajime responded by neatly pulling up the control stick. The vanship acended from the street, the summer wind blowing through my hair and hitting my face. I smiled and closed my eyes, putting my arms out. A flock of rainbirds flew next to us, above Blythe. I slowly stood up and laughed, opening my eyes and taking in the city below me. We glided over the city, but remained inside the cover of the crater.

Hajime noticed me. "What the heck are you doing!" I sat down. "You can get killed doing a stupid thing like that!"

I rolled my eyes. "It's fun!"

"What the heck is wrong with you? Don't you know that's dangerous?"

"Oh i'm sorry, mother!" I noted his motherly tone, sarcastically. I crossed my arms. "It's not like I escaped you by jumping onto a moving vanship and riding it away."

Hajime shook his head. "You're crazy." He curved the vanship back around and set it up for the landing.

"Aw!" I whined. "We're done already?"

"Yes. We've got other things to do!"

"Uuuuugh! But we just got up here!"

"This is a test drive, not a freakin' joyride."

He landed the vanship. I decreased the acceleration and we parked it out in front of the garage. A man came out of the garage and greeted us.

"Ya all done?" He smiled at the vanship.

"Yessir!" Hajime gladly answered. "It's all ready to go."

"Good job you two!" He praised and handed us each a Claudia stone. He and his navigator left us staring at our tips. They took off.

Hajime put his in his pocket. "Let's go eat lunch."

"Lunch? How can you think about lunch now!" I showed him the Claudia. "We got paid!"

Hajime shook his head and sighed. "Yes. This is a job. We get paid here. " He grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the garage.

I put my Claudia into my pocket. We both opened our lockers and pulled out our lunches. We sat on the floor with the others and ate.

"The rain's almost here." Mamoru said.

"That's good." Blondie added. "It's gettin' way too hot."

Grace joined us.

"Maybe we should just stay home tomorrow." Steven suggested, cleaning his fogged glasses with his dirty uniform.

"Maybe you shouldn't be such a baby." Grace added. "A little heat and work isn't going to kill you!"

We all laughed.

"Hey! Just because you fought in the war doesn't mean that-"

"Calm down, Steven." Mamoru said. "If it gets too hot tomorrow, then i'll let everyone go home."

We finished our food and went back to work. When it was closing time, I began walking back home. Samia was there, waiting for me on the steps. She stood as I came to the house.

"Ade!" Samia greeted. "Hiiiiii!"

"Wat's up?" I asked, pulling her into a hug.

"Nothing, really... Just the same boring stuff."

We went inside. It was awfully quiet. Something wasn't right. Samia wouldn't stop smiling.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You haven't noticed anything different?" She stirred our soup.

"No." I sat at the table.

"This morning, after you left-"

Katima came in. "Tamika was adopted." She smiled.

"That brat's finally gone!" I exclaimed. Kat nodded. "I expected you to be sad..."

Katima looked down. "Yea... I guess I should be... A little... But he's in a happier place now."

Samia served us and sat down. "And now he has three siblings to boss around and annoy!"

We all happily ate our food and went to bed. I looked over at Samia.

"I got to fly in a vanship today..."

Samia shot up and sat on the edge of her bed. "Really! How was it!"

I looked out the window. "It was so fun. It made me feel so happy... I... I wish that my dad would of been able to fly with me..." I smiled at Samia.

She smiled back. "I for one am never gonna get on one of those things again!" We both laughed and laid down in our beds. I quickly fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up, got dressed, and put my satchel on before leaving the house. It felt miserable outside. It was hot and humid. I felt as if the life was being sucked out of me the second I left my home. I groaned and made my way to work.

A large flock of rainbirds were the only thing that gave me hope of relief from the summer heat. We were definitely getting rain today. I wish it would come faster though.

When I got to work all the doors were open. Claire desperately fanned herself with some of her papers at her desk, while the rest of the boys were laying around like they were dead. I took off my sleeves and tied them around my waist. Hajime sat up as I entered the room. I sat next to him on the hot table.

"I saw rainbirds today." I smiled.

"I hope it rains today or we're all gonna die."

I looked around. "Where's Mamoru?"

"I dunno." He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "He left earlier."

"I hope we get to go home early today."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "We'll just be as miserable there as we are here!"

I shook my head. "Whatever."

Everyone sat up as Mamoru came in.

"What's everyone laying around for?" He asked.

"Nobody has came yet." Steven pointed out. "We should all just go home."

Claire came in. "You're such a baby."

"Well if nobody comes then i'll let you go." Mamoru agreed.

Everyone sighed when he left. We waited around for what seemed like an eternity until a man entered the shop.

"I noticed that you fine workers here were in need of a job." The elderly man pointed out. "And since it's such a fine day i'll let you wash my vanship."

Steven and Blondie jumped up and got the washing equipment together. Hajime and I got the hose and ran it outside. We waited for the others. When they were ready we filled the buckets with water and soap. I rinsed off the vanship. The boys began to wash. I looked at the hose in my hands and smirked.

"Hey Hajime!" I yelled and sprayed him with the freezing water.

"Hey!" He threw his sponge at me.

He tried to wrestle the hose out of my hand. In the process he got me soaked. He finally got it out of my hands.

"Hey you two! Quit playing around!" Steven laughed.

Hajime sprayed them both. I picked up his sponge and started cleaning the machine. When we finished, the man payed us and left. We sat in the shop and waited for us to dry off. I looked at the floor, deep in thought, next to Hajime.

"Who is that?" He asked.

I looked over at the door to see Samia. She looked over at me with uncertainty. I jumped off of the table and walked to her. She walked over to meet me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Somebody came to the house today. He was looking for you..."

"Was it the owner of the shop!" I asked, afraid that someone found out that we stole the claudia.

"No. I- I brought him here." Samia said.

The man walked around the corner. We both stopped and stared. It had been years. So many years since we had seen each other. It was Akihiro. My heart sped up. If Akihiro's here then my father would be here too!

I ran over to him and gave Akihiro a big hug. He hugged me back. I couldn't keep from crying.

"I'm sorry!" I repeated a few times. He looked down at me. "I didn't protect her!"

Mieko

"It's okay, Adelina." He soothed my soul. "I know you did your best. You did exactly what we told you to do. It's not your fault."

I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Where's my father?"

"He's still fighting in the war." Akihiro looked up at the dark clouds in the sky. "I came here to see if the rumor was true. If you were actually here." He smiled. "And you are. So now i'm going to go back to Alan and tell him that you are actually here."

"Okay!" I smiled. "You two be safe!" I hugged him again.

"I have to get back to my group now. We're leaving to catch up with your father." He turned to leave.

"Wait... Are we winning this war?"

"It's hard to say right now..." Akihiro answered and left.

I looked over at Samia after he left.

"So... Is that Mieko's dad?" She asked.

"Yea.." I said. "You should get back home. It's too hot to be in the sun."

"Okay!" Samia smiled and started walking back home.

I went back over to Hajime and sat down.

"What was that about?" Hajime asked.

I punched him in the shoulder. "It's none of your business."

"Fine." He rubbed his arm.

The sky started to get dark. A cool, strong wind blew into the town and through the shop. I shivered. Hajime hopped down and went outside to look. Mamoru came in.

"It looks like a storm's comin'." He stated as if we weren't waiting for this all day. "I think it would be best if everyone went home."

Steven jumped up. "Yea!"

I helped shut things and clean things up. While the others left I helped Mamoru. It started to sprinkle. By the time Claire left it was raining.

"You should go home before it gets any worse."Mamoru offered.

I nodded. "See you tomorrow!"

I opened the door, sending a gust of wind through the shop. I yanked the door shut and ran back home. I ran faster, thinking of the day Mieko died. The rain sprinkled down on me in big drops as I hurried inside the house and pushed the door shut against the furious winds.

"Well you're wet again!" Samia greeted me with a towel.

I dried myself the best I could and took off my shoes.

"It's like the Grand Stream out there." Katima said from the doorway.

I smiled and went to change clothes. I changed into my purple dress. I then went downstairs to sit in the living room. The wind smacked against the house making it creak while the rain pattered against the windows. Katima sat in my lap. I hugged her close. Samia joined us.

"How long do you think the storm will go on?" Samia asked.

"I don't know." I answered. "It's not bad out yet."

We sat in silence for a while.

"When will Ms. Tallie come back?" Kat asked.

"I dunno." Samia said.

We sat in silence as it started to thunder. The rain went back to a sprinkle. Finally we started to make dinner. Katima sat at the table and watched. There was a knock at the door. I went to answer it.

"Are you Adelina Fontana?" The man asked.

I leaned on the doorway. "Yea."

"I'm sorry to inform you." He paused as the thunder sounded. "That your father, Alan, has died fighting in the war."

My heart caught and I desperately blinked away the tears. "Do you know... How he died?"

"No I don't. I apologize for your loss." He turned and left me in the doorway. I watched as he disappeared into the rain.

I shut the door and hurried to my room, ignoring Samia when she asked me who was there. I ran upstairs and thrust the window open in our room. Even though it was raining, I desperately needed to be in my comfort zone. I swung myself out the window and pulled myself onto the roof where I sat, hugging my legs.

It rained down on me and the wind pushed against my back. I sat there and cried. My sobs were muffled by the occasional burst of thunder. The rain began to pick up.

My father was supposed to come home. We were gonna fly in a vanship together. We were gonna buy a new house and move far away from Blythe.

We were supposed to be happy.

I buried my face into my arm, trying to calm down.

There was no use to keep crying.

He's with mommy and Mieko now.

He'll be happy.

And he'll be waiting

For me

A loud bang rang through the sky behind me. I suddenly sat up. That wasn't thunder. It was a ship.

And it was coming straight for me.


	7. Chapter 7

My eyes widened as the flaming ship hurdled towards me through the darkness. I quickly crouched down on the metal roof. As the ship passed over me, I could feel the heat from the fire on my back. Once it passed over, I looked up. The ship crashed into our backyard, carving into the ground. The thunder rang through my blurred head. I stood up and slid down the drainpipe, hitting the wet grass below. I stared at the burning mass.

What was that doing here? How could it just crash like that!? There was no war nearby...

I jumped as the door opened behind me. I didn't look away from the ship. A ship similar to the ones in my nightmares. That killed Mieko.

"A-Adelina?" Samia asked.

"Stay there." I ordered and began to walk forward, shaking.

I picked up an old rusty crowbar that I spotted in the tall grass. If that pilot was still alive, I would have to kill him. No matter how scary he looked. I have to protect Samia and Katima. They won't die because of me. Not like Mieko...

I tightened my grip on the crowbar as I neared the flaming starship. The flames were dulled now, the rain beating down on it. My heart raced as I took one shaky step toward it. I was shivering both by how cold it was and fear. These things killed two people I loved. Destroyed my home.

The starship, laying on it's back, was badly damaged. When I took another step toward it, the door opened with a hiss of air. I jumped back, slipping, and fell backwards letting out a small yelp. I lost my crowbar in the darkness. A dark figure stood dizzily up from the broken ship. The small fires around him only showed that he had a humanly figure. He slowly stood up and put a hand to his head. He took a shaky step forward and fell to the ground.

I frantically searched the grass for my weapon. When I found it I gripped it in my hands and forced myself to stand. I cautiously moved around the ship as the rain began to die down. My arms and legs shook as I neared the fallen man. He must have passed out. I stood, at a distance, in front of him. His body laid halfway in and out of his ship. I raised my weapon above my head.

Just kill him. Just kill him now. For Mieko. For Father. For Samia. For Katima.

I gripped my weapon.

I can do it! I can kill this thing! It may have the shape of a person, but it's not! They're evil! They need to die! If not then they will kill everyone else I love!

The rain slowly faded away. The man never moved. I closed my eyes. I can't do it. I can't. He's probably dead anyways... I fell to my knees, the crowbar hitting the muddy ground beside me. I looked over at the man. I could barely see, from the remaining fire and from my glowing necklace, that he had white hair. It was covered in deep red blood as well as the ground beneath him. I took a deep breath and turned him over onto his back.

His eyes were closed. He had a pained expression on his face. He wasn't dead. I shivered as the thunder sounded.

"Who is that?" Samia whispered from beside me.

I jumped a little. I had just noticed that she was there. I looked back at the house to see Kat in the doorway. I carefully set the man's head on the ground and stood up.

"Katima!" I called. "Go find some bandages!" I turned to Samia. "You help me carry him inside."

Samia didn't argue. I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't sure about this. We picked the man up and carried him into the house. Katima stayed far away from the stranger, hugging the bandages to her chest. We laid him down on the floor, afraid to get the furniture wet, and looked down at him. I took the bandages from Kat and sat by the man's head. Samia returned with a bowl of water and a rag. I washed the blood from his pale face. He was a young man about my age. The girls watched as I wrapped his head in bandages.

He was so weird. His white hair was short and braided on one side. He also wore a white outfit that was gold and black. Most of all, his skin was so pale and he wore makeup on his face.

I left to get a few towels. The girls followed me, afraid to be left alone with him. I gave one towel to Samia and went back to the boy. I put one towel under his head as a pillow until his hair dried, and used the last to dry me off. Katima stayed in the doorway. Samia kept her distance too.

"Who is he?" Samia finally spoke.

"I don't know, exactly." I answered, looking at his pale face.

"Well... Who do you think he is? He's not your father, is he? No, he looks to young for that..."

I braced myself for her reaction.

"I think... Well... He is-"

"He's a Guild member." Katima finished gravely, hugging the doorway. "A bad guy."

"Wha-?" Samia looked at me completely confused. "If-! Then-? My-!"

"I know! I couldn't kill him! I just couldn't do it! And I thought he was dead, but he wasn't! He was badly hurt!" I pleaded.

"And you bring It into My house!?"

"I couldn't think to do anything else!"

"What if it wakes up! Then what!? Will we all die!? Is that what you want!? You want us all to die!?"

"No!" I blinked back the tears. I was done crying. No more.

Samia angrily sighed and flopped onto the couch.

"When the bad man wakes up, he may be grateful." Kat assured. "Then he might not kill us!"

"Then what? We let it go back home and tell his buddies where we've been hiding? Then they'll all come over here and destroy this town too. We'll all die." Samia added pessimistically.

"That's enough!" I butt in. I looked at Kat who backed out of the room a little. "You should get to bed." She nodded and left. "And you." I looked at Samia. "Ms. Tallie won't be home until tomorrow, so in the morning you will help me carry this man upstairs."

"What!?"

"We can't let her see him! She'll flip out!"

"Well you should've left him out there to die, now shouldn't of you?" Samia crossed her arms.

I stared up at her angrily. I would have slapped her in the face if I was standing.

"What is wrong with you?" I spat through clenched teeth. "Don't you think there's been enough death? Do you want to know who was at the door? It was a man. He came to tell me that my father is dead. Now let's at least try to save one life in this war." I looked down as the boy twitched and didn't dare to look back up at Samia. I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly.

We were both quiet until Samia spoke. "Okay... I'll help you... But I still don't trust this guy. I'll keep my eye out in town for a weapon you can keep hidden." She stood up. "I'm going to bed."

I watched as she left. The boy groaned and shifted a little. I held my breath until he stopped. I didn't trust him either. I still had to sleep downstairs so if he ever awoke, I could protect my family. I should've killed him. I don't know why I couldn't. My tired eyes began to close. All the crying made me tired combined with what just happened. I was exhausted. I quickly fell asleep, sitting with my back against the couch.

I woke up early the next morning to find that the boy was still asleep where I left him. I stood up, stretched, and then proceeded up the stairs to wake Samia. When she awoke, we both went downstairs and picked him up. As carefully as we could, we began to climb the stairs with his heavy body. Finally we entered our room and laid him down on my bed. We flopped down onto the free bed, breathing heavily.

"My gosh!" Samia breathed. "What do they eat where he's from!?"

"Well he does look about my age. If you and Kat were to drag me up the stairs, it probably would be as hard." I smiled and sat up.

"Now what?" Samia did the same.

"We need to get bandages so we don't have to keep going downstairs for them."

"Okay."

We both went back downstairs and came back up with a few rolls of bandages. I put them under my bed where the Claudia was. I stood up and looked at the boy.

"Are you going to work today?" Samia asked.

"No." I knew she didn't want me to leave her here alone with him. I was also late for work.

"You'll get in trouble, won't you?"

"No... Not if I tell them that my father died."

"Yea.." She replied sadly. "I guess you're right."

I sat on Samia's bed. She stood in the doorway for a little while.

"I'm going to go to town."

"Okay." I replied. "Be careful though."

"I will."

"And take an umbrella. It's still raining outside."

"Yea, yea." She said exiting the room.

I looked down at the boy who groaned. He must still be in pain. He must of hit his head pretty hard.

I looked up to see Katima come in. She sat next to me. We both continued to stare at the boy.

"Do you think he has a name?" She asked.

"He should."

"Do you think he's nice?"

"I don't know."

"Hm... When do you think that he'll wake up?"

"I'm not sure..." I looked at her. "Why are you so interested in him?"

"I dunno... It's just exciting. Something new. It's been boring here since Tamika left."

"Yea... I guess so."

"And I wanna know how people like this guy act." She looked up at me. "Do you think they act as weird as they look?"

I smiled, amused. "I don't know."

Kat's stomach growled loudly. She put her hand to it and smiled.

"I'm hungry!"

"Come on." I stood and took her hand. "We'll go downstairs and reheat dinner."

We left the boy in my room and closed the door, going down the stairs. We went into the kitchen and turned the burner on under the pot. I took a seat beside Kat. When the food was finished, we both got some and began eating. Ms. Tallie came into the house, hung up her coat, and took off her shoes.

"What are you doing home?" She asked me, confused.

"My father died." I replied looking into my soup.

"Oh... I'm sorry..." She looked around. "Where's Samia?"

"She went out for a walk."

She sighed. "Okay."

Ms. Tallie gave herself some soup and joined us at the table. We all ate silently. When I was finished I put my bowl in the sink and went up to my room. I carefully entered the room just in case the boy was awake. He was right where I left him, asleep. I sat on Samia's bed. His face twitched as he dreamed. I wondered what he was dreaming about.

"Lucciola..." He quietly murmured, making me jump.

His face faded away from a pained expression to a sad one. I looked at him confused and concerned. Who's Lucciola? I jumped up when my window slid open. Samia, who was hanging onto the drainpipe outside, pulled herself into the room.

"Phew!" She sighed, taking off her coat. "It's wet and windy outside!" She removed something from her sleeve and handed it to me. "Here you go!"

I stared down at the small dagger in my hands. There was nothing fancy about it. As I pulled the blade out I could see that the handle was black like the case and the blade was a clean, shiny silver. The blade looked really sharp. I put the dagger back into the case and sat back down on the bed.

"So how did you get this?" I asked.

"I stole it. They guy chased me around until I got onto the roofs. Oh! And the streets are flooded!"

I smiled. When we were done talking, I decided to replace the boy's bandages. As I changed them, the name he uttered stuck into my mind. I was curious. Samia left me alone to speak with her mother. I slid the dagger into my boot as she exited through the window.

I couldn't wait for the boy to wake up.

At the same time, I dreaded it.


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up and stood from the floor. The boy was still asleep as he was days before. I took my clothes for today out of my dresser I shared with Samia and went to the bathroom. I slid off my night gown and put on my dress. I left the bathroom and peeked into my bed room.

He was still asleep. I sighed both with sadness and reassurance. I went downstairs where Samia was beginning to prepare breakfast. Katima sat at the table and watched.

"Morning!" Kat greeted happily. "Is he still asleep?"

"Yup." I said taking the pan from Samia.

"Thank goodness!" Samia exclaimed as she pulled some eggs out of the fridge.

"What's good about that?" Kat asked.

"He can't hurt us if he's still passed out!"

I rolled my eyes. She was still on edge about him.

"But I wanna meet him!" Kat smiled.

"You won't be saying that after he kills ya!" Samia smirked.

I cracked an egg into the pan.

"What!? What makes you think that he will kill me?" She pulled her hair out of her face. "He doesn't even know me!"

"Oh he will." She smirked. "He did almost hit the house."

"Yea! But he missed! If he was gonna kill me then he would of made sure that he didn't miss!"

"Aaannnd when he wakes up he will finish the job."

I smacked Samia on top of the head with my spatula. "That's enough out of you."

"Ouch!" She rubbed her head. "Okay, okay."

"He's not gonna kill me Ade, is he?" Katima looked up at me, concerned.

"No. He wouldn't have any reason to kill a sweet girl like you. And like you said." I flipped the egg. "He doesn't even know you."

"Yea but that didn't stop all the other guys from destroying our last home." Samia muttered under her breath.

I ignored her. Katima smiled, happy that she was right. I couldn't be sure if he would kill us or not... I didn't want to upset Kat. There is a good chance that things will go her way.

"Do you think that he will be nice?" She started the questions again.

"I don't know." I answered.

"Did you ever hear him talk?" She traced the dents in the table with her finger. "All he ever does when I watch him is moan."

Samia sat down. "Kat you are such a creeper."

"What?" She sat up. "I'm curious!"

I slid the egg onto a plate. They both suddenly got quiet. I turned around with the plate in my hand.

There he was.

The boy stood in the doorway looking as shocked as us. I dropped the plate onto the floor making it shatter at my feet. Everything then went into motion. Samia jumped up and retreated behind me while Katima backed up until she hit the wall. The boy took a few steps forward making me panic. I didn't have the knife. Where's the knife!? I pointed the spatula between us.

His face twisted into an amused smile. "You're going to hurt me with that?" I looked at him completely confused. "I would be careful if I were you. Seeing you right now like this I judge that you have no fighting skills." He smiled, amused again. "I could have killed all three of you five times by now."

I just stared at him, shocked. Here he was. I nursed him back to health and now here he is. The spatula fell from my grip and I sunk to the ground.

The boy looked down at me suddenly concerned. "Are you okay!?"

"Wha?"

He put his hand out for me. Samia suddenly pulled me up.

"Get out of my house!" She shouted at him.

His expression matched mine exactly. "So... You're not going to kill me?" We all looked at him dumbfounded. He sat down at the table bursting into laughter. "We both thought that we were going to kill each other?!"

His laugh faded away. We weren't laughing. We stood amongst the broken glass. Katima finally stepped forward.

"S-so you're not gonna kill us?" She asked innocently.

"Why would I?" He answered with his monotoned voice.

I bent down and began to pick up the broken plate.

"Sorry about that..." He apologized. "I wasn't expecting everyone to be so afraid." We were silent, unsure of what to say. "How did I get here?"

I set the pieces on the counter. "You crashed... Into our backyard."

"Crashed!?" I nodded. "Oh... Well that's too bad." He just shrugged off.

"What!?" Samia butt in. "You crash into our backyard in some unknown place and don't even care!?"

He smiled. "Nope. Not really." Kat sat down across from him. "What happened then?"

"We carried you inside and took care of you until now..." I answered.

"Who took care of me?"

"I did."

"Thanks for that!" He smiled at me.

I turned around, embarrassed, and began to make breakfast again.

"What's your name!?" Kat curiously asked.

"I'm Dio!" He smiled. "And you are?"

"Katima! You can call me Kat if you want!"

"Samia." She was still on edge.

"I'm Adelina." I smiled, blushing a little. I flipped the egg over.

"So where am I?"

"No." Samia interrupted. "You can't ever ask that question."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to hear about it again. Ever." She left the room.

I put the egg onto a plate and gave it to Kat. She smiled at it and began eating.

"Do you want one?" I asked him.

"Sure!"

I turned around and began cooking it. "Don't worry about Samia. She- well... We don't trust anyone from the Guild..."

"I can understand that."

I quickly turned around. That was the last thing I expected to hear. He didn't see me. His attention was focused on the table. He must be thinking...

"How old are you?" Kat started her long list of questions for him.

"Sixteen. How about you?"

"Ade! He's the same age as you!" She shouted as if it was the most amazing thing in the world.

I flipped the egg over. "Yes Kat, I heard him." I smiled.

"I'm nine!" She excitedly told him.

I gave Dio his egg and began cooking mine. While he began eating, Katima watched him inattentively, her head resting in her hands.

"Kat." I sighed. "At least let him eat."

"What? I am!"

"That's not what I mean!"

"It's fine." Dio laughed. "I'm used to it."

When the egg was finished I sat and ate my breakfast. Kat busied herself with doing the dishes.

"Are you all here on your own?" Dio asked after he was finished.

"No..." I answered. "There's a whole city outside... And our caretaker lives here too." I took another bite. "That's another thing... If Ms. Tallie finds out that your here then she will freak out."

"Meaning...?"

"Something bad will happen to you. I can't say for sure what will happen... The same goes for the city. You should never leave this house."

"Oh.." He answered. "Can I at least see my ship?"

"Why do you need to see that thing?" Samia re-entered the room. "Its not like your going anywhere."

"So. It's still mine. I have the right to at least see it." Dio smiled.

Samia crossed her arms.

I stood. "Come on." Samia stared at me wide eyed. "What? It's not like he's going anywhere!" I smirked.

"Fine." She sighed.

I walked to the backdoor followed by Dio and stepped out. We walked through the tall soggy grass to his ship. I stopped at a safe distance. Dio climbed up on top of it.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sitting. I shook my head. "You guys were right. I'm not getting anywhere soon."

I scowled. "Were you listening to anything we just said?"

"Yea.."

I climbed up on top of the ship and sat next to him. "You can't go anywhere!"

He sighed. "And how long do you think that I can stay a secret?"

I looked down. "I don't know... I can't just let you go..."

"Why not?"

"We can't trust you..."

"I understand the reason, but why?"

I sighed. "It's a secret. But if you leave here and tell everyone about this place then they'll come back here and kill everyone!"

Dio smiled. "I don't want to go back anyway."

I looked at him completely confused. "You say you want to go, but you can't go, and you don't want to go back to wherever it is that you come from... You're confusing.."

Dio smiled and rubbed his head. "I think I hit my head too hard."

"So... Where do you come from?" I looked down at the wing of the ship. "I've never seen any of you before..."

"Don't you know?" He asked like it was common knowledge. "We live in ships up in the sky." He leaned back. "Where do you come from?"

I looked at him. "How do you know that i'm not from here?"

"Just a guess. You don't seem like a kind of person to be stuck in here. You look like you should be in the sky."

"Then I got that from my father..."

"Does he pilot a vanship?"

"He did." I looked down. "I was told that he was dead the same night you crashed."

"Hm... I'm sorry about that..."

"It's not your fault."

"No, but someone has to apologize for my people."

"Ade!" Kat yelled from the doorway. "She's back!"

I quickly got up, slipping a little on the damp metal.

"What's going on?" Dio asked standing.

I hurried off the ship, falling onto my butt and sliding into the muddy ground below. Dio followed less clumsily.

I stood up and ran to the drainpipe. "Ms. Tallie is back so you need to hide!" I looked up to my window. "Climb up there. She never goes up into my room."

Dio climbed up. I watched as he opened the window and slid in. He looked down to me.

"I'll be up later." I told him.

I walked inside.

"You came home early today." Samia pointed out.

"It turns out that they didn't need much help today." Ms. Tallie answered. "Not many people are out since the streets are flooded- Adelina! Why are you covered in mud!?"

"I was walking around outside and slipped."

She sighed. "Go clean yourself up."

I left the room and went upstairs to mine. Dio was sitting on my bed. I went over and got some clean clothes out of my dresser and left for the bathroom. When I returned he was in the same spot.

"Anything you need?"

"When you come back can you bring me some food?"

"Yea."

I shut the door and went back downstairs. I joined everyone at the table. We started eating dinner.

"When are you going back to work, Adelina?" Ms. Tallie asked, not looking up from her food.

"I don't know..." I forgot all about work.

"You should go back tomorrow."

"But, like you said, the streets are flooded!"

"Yes. The street where my buildings are, but yours is on top of a hill." She pointed out.

I looked down. "Okay."

I finished my bowl and leaned over to Kat. "Distract her so I can give Dio some food, okay?"

Katima smiled as I stood up and went over to the stove to get more soup. As I turned around, Kat screamed. She quickly jumped back and screamed again.

"What is it!?" Ms. Tallie asked. Katima ran around the table and into the living room where she jumped behind the couch. Ms. Tallie stood and went to talk to her. "What the hell is going on with her?"

Samia burst into a laughing fit as I hurried to the stairs, careful not to spill the soup. I opened the door, making Dio stumble backwards. I gave him his food.

"What was the screaming about?" He asked.

"Kat was giving me a distraction." Dio smiled and began eating. "Is it good?"

"It's okay. Did you make it?"

"No... Samia did... I probably should of checked to see if it was poisoned though.." I grinned and rocked on my heels. Dio looked at me concerned. "Don't worry!" I giggled. "If it was poisoned then we would have known! We all already ate some."

Dio gave a little smile and finished eating. I blushed.

That was a crappy joke.

~|AUTHOR'S NOTE|~

Sorry about the crappy ending! I couldn't find a better way to end the chapter...

And one last apology for if i'm failing at writing Dio's part... He is a very difficult person to write for...

I have a feeling that Samia is going to be edgy and hateful towards Dio for a long time. Katima is just adorable! It's funny how she's the most curious person toward Dio considering that Adelina has a crush on him.

Anyway! This will get more exciting! Please keep reading and review!

~|Adelina|~


	9. Chapter 9

I woke up and stood, moving around to pop my sore back. I was sick of sleeping on the floor. I looked to my bed to see Dio smiling, sitting cross- legged.

"Good morning!" He said.

"Morning." I pulled my uniform out of my dresser and left to change.

When I came back he was in the same spot. I tied the sleeves of my uniform around my waist and brushed my hair.

"What's that for?" He asked. "You going somewhere?"

"Yeah." I put my mother's ribbon into my hair. "I have to go to work."

"Work? Where do you work?"

"A vanship repair shop."

He put his feet over the edge of the bed. "Then you could repair my ship!"

"No!" I put my hands on my hips. "I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"One," I pointed at the wall. "That thing is not a vanship!"

"It's a starfish."

"Two. It's beyond repair!" I put my hand down. "And three, I don't know how to repair things!"

Dio shrugged. "It was worth a try."

I leaned against the wall beside the door. "Can I trust you here with my sisters?"

He nodded. "Like I said; I don't have any reason to kill you."

"Okay then." I touched the doorknob. "I'm trusting you.."

I shut the door behind me and walked down the steps as quietly as I could. I threw together something for lunch and laced up my boots before going outside. A splash greeted me outside as I stepped onto our small step. It was flooded. I took a step down to the street where the water went up to my ankles. When I began walking to work the water went up to my knees.

The water level decreased as I headed to my street. I dripped all the way up the hill until I stepped into the office. Claire shuffled through papers at her desk.

"Hey there!" She smiled at me. "Long time no see."

"Hiii."

She stood up and walked over to a table to file a few papers. "Notice anything different?"

I smiled. "You're not on crutches anymore!"

"Yup!" She sat back down at her desk.

"There's Adelina!" Mamoru walked in. "We thought you were washed away with the storm."

"Sorry about that..."

"What happened?"

"My father died."

"What!?" Claire put her papers down. "Alan?" I nodded. "What about that other guy?"

"I haven't heard." I looked out the door to the shop. "I'm gonna get to work."

"Okay then." Mamoru let me go.

I walked out into the shop and sat on my cabnet. Hajime rolled out from under a green vanship to look at me.

"Nice of you to finally show up."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Hand me that." He pointed up at the wrench beside me on the counter.

I picked it up and jumped down to the floor to hand him the tool. He took it and rolled back under the ship.

The rest of the day was boring. We fixed up the vanship and gave it back to the owner. When it was finally closing time I hurried out the door instead of sticking around. I had to get back home. I wasn't sure if Dio left the house... Or worse.

"Woah there!" Hajime called, catching up. "What's the rush? Your usually one of the last people out."

"I gotta make sure everything's okay at home."

"What do you mean? Is someone sick?"

I looked away from him. Why the heck would he care anyway? "Yes." I lied. "Kat is sick."

"Cat? Your cat is sick?"

"No." I rolled my eyes. "Katima." I walked faster. "I have to get home then."

I didn't wait for a reply. I hurried down the hill to my road, my boots being soaked once again. I shut the front door behind me and took off my boots. I heard Kat scream, making me stand.

"Ade's home!" She giggled as Dio ran in with her on his back.

"Mirella!" Dio smiled.

I looked at him confused. Katima was as confused as I was. "Mirella? No! That's Adelina!"

"I think you have brain damage." I pointed out.

"Nope!" Dio adjusted Kat on his back. "It's your new name! Mirella!"

I walked into the kitchen to hide that I was blushing. Why is he naming me? They followed me.

"Are you gonna play with us Ade?"

I looked at them. "What are you playing?"

"Vanship!" Dio pointed out.

"You know what a vanship is?" Samia joined us in the kitchen.

"Yeah!" He put Kat onto the floor. "I've flown one before."

"You have?" I asked.

"Haven't you?"

"I... Haven't flown one.. But I navigated one before!"

Kat jumped back onto Dio's back. "Come on! Let's play!"

Dio rushed forward making some sort of motor noise. Kat put her arms out as the wings. I couldn't help but smile. Samia rolled her eyes and pulled a pot out to make dinner.

"You're all a bunch of children."

"Aw, come on!" I stepped out of the way to let the "vanship" pass through the kitchen. "It's cute!"

Samia ignored me and pulled out some ingredients. Katima came running in. I looked back to see Dio sitting on the couch.

I smiled. "Is he tired already?" Kat nodded.

"They've been doing that forever." Samia complained.

I let her onto my back and walked into the living room.

"Come on Ade! Faster! Faster!"

I hurried around the couch faster.

"You don't sound like a vanship, Mirella." Dio smiled.

I responded by making whirring sounds. Katima giggled. We ran around the house until I got tired. When dinner was ready we sat around the table and ate. We ate earlier now so that Ms. Tallie wouldn't see Dio. Once dinner was over Dio and I went up to our bedroom.

"I want my bed back." I said as I shut the door.

"Okay!" He sat down on the floor.

I sat on my bed and leaned against the wall. Dio looked ahead, spacing out.

"Mirella?"

"What?"

"Why does Samia hate me?"

"I don't think she hates you... She... Just doesn't like you.." He looked up at me. I sighed. "Before we came here we lived in a different town."

"What was that place called?"

I shook my head. "I don't remember... It's been so long..."

"What happened?"

"The Guild ships were flying over the town and decided to attack... The ships that were shot down fell down onto the city... My house was destroyed.. And my best friend was killed."

Dio looked down.

"We were running away from under the fight... And she got hit by one of the ships. When I looked back she was dead.. So I kept on running. Ms. Tallie found me."

"And she found Kat and Samia too?"

"Well actually.. Samia is her daughter. That's one reason why she doesn't like you in her house. She doesn't like you because you're a Guildmember."

"That's understandable.."

I sighed. "But I don't think that you're like the others."

He looked up at me. "You don't think so?"

"Well... I haven't met any other Guildmembers... But I don't think you are..." I blushed. "They all seem like they want to kill us."

"So that's why you're all hiding in this city."

I looked at him seriously. "How did you find out?"

"By sitting on the roof I noticed that this place is built in some sort of crevice." He smiled. "I'm not stupid, Mirella."

I hugged my legs. "I know..."

"If I ever get out of here.. I won't tell anyone."

I smiled. "Thanks."

~|AUTHOR'S NOTE|~

These chapters are starting to get really boring and hard to write! Uugghhh!

So I think in the next chapter something epic will happen. Yay! It will be so awesome!

Please keep reading and review!

~|Adelina|~


	10. Chapter 10

"Adelina? Ade wake up!" I heard a hushed voice as I drifted out of sleep. I opened my eyes sleepily to see Samia.  
>"What?" I asked, sitting up.<br>"You don't have work today, do you?"  
>"No."<br>"Good. Now scoot over and stay quiet." She looked down at Dio who was still sleeping. "I don't want to wake him up."  
>I let her sit against the wall with me on my bed. I rubbed my eyes.<br>"I want to talk about him..." She began quietly. "I don't want to have to hide him from my mom anymore..."  
>"What are we supposed to do then? We either kick him out in the streets or tell your mother that we've been hiding a 'Guildmember' in her house?"<br>Samia sighed. "So you have been thinking about this."  
>"Yes, but there's no easy way to get rid of him."<br>"If you fix his ship then he'll leave and probably tell someone that we're all hiding here."  
>"He said that he wouldn't!" I shot back.<br>"Hush! Are you really gonna listen and believe everything this guy says?"  
>I didn't answer. I hugged my legs.<br>"The only other thing I can think of... Is... Killing him."  
>I looked at her dumbfounded. "What? And who's gonna do that Samia?" I demanded.<br>"I don't know! It's just a thought!"  
>I rolled my eyes. "What is wrong with you? Ever since he showed up you've gotten colder and have more of an attitude."<br>"He doesn't belong here. You know what those evil things do! You've witnessed it. We all have.."  
>I looked directly at her. "He's not the same as them."<br>She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. If you get killed or something bad goes wrong.." She hopped off the bed and headed for the door. "Then that's your fault."  
>I stared at her angrily as she left, shutting the door behind her. Once she was gone I grabbed the necklace around my neck and pulled it off, throwing it across the room. It hit the wall and fell to the floor. Dio instantly sat up, looking around panicked.<br>"I-I'm sorry!" I hugged myself closer. "I didn't mean to wake you up!"  
>He looked over at me and smiled. "That's alright." He stood and flopped himself down on my bed. "Hey can I ask you something?"<br>"What...?" He was unusually wide awake...  
>He leaned closer to my face, staring into my eyes innocently. "Could we at least take a look at the damage to my starfish?"<br>I blinked a few times and looked away, scooting farther away. "I don't think so."  
>He moved closer. "Aw come on! I've been good!"<br>I scooted over until I was cornered on my bed. He stared into my eyes. I could feel my face beginning to turn red. I hugged my legs closer and looked away at the wall.  
>"I said no."<br>He grabbed my chin lightly and turned my face back to his. I froze. "I'm not going to do anything bad." He spoke in a hushed tone. "I promise." He tilted his head and smiled. "Okay?"  
>I searched his face, slightly shaking. He was so close to me... So close to my face..<br>"Okay..."  
>"Thank you, Mirella."<br>With that he drifted off the bed and headed for the window, opening it and looking outside out backyard before climbing out onto the roof. I finally felt like I could breathe. I relaxed and touched a finger to my chin. What was this feeling...? Something that fluttered in my chest.. I couldn't possibly be... Not with him I couldn't be...  
>The door was thrown open, making me jump. Little footsteps pattered across the floor.<br>"Diiiiooooo!" Kat called through the room. She looked at me, cocking her head to the side. "Ade? What's wrong?"  
>I blinked and quickly stood up, walking over to her and holding out my hand. "Nothing! Is Ms. Tallie still here?"<br>"No she's gone!"  
>"Come on then." She took my hand and I led her down the narrow stairs and out the back door.<br>"Where are we going?"  
>"Outside. Dio wants our help."<br>She giggled. "Okay!"  
>We picked up our mud boots and slipped them on, stepping out into a puddle off the back step. Dio slid down the drainpipe and splashed into the puddle next to us.<br>Kat put her hands up towards him. "Good morning, Dio!"  
>"Morning!" He picked her up and placed her behind his head.<br>I followed both of them through the tall and wet grass. The mud threatened to stop us from moving. As we stepped closer to the white ship, my heart began to pound. All I could think about when being around this thing was the loud banging and cracking noises as they fell to the ground. I took a deep breath and touched the smooth surface. Some chunks were broken off and black spots were all that was left of the fires.  
>Dio put Katima down and sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "This thing's really a wreck, isn't it?"<br>I watched as he climbed on top of it carefully, his boots sliding a bit. He moved up towards the broken glass and brushed some of it off the side with his gloved hands.  
>"Do you really think you're going to fix this thing...?" I asked. "It's pretty broken.. And we don't have any parts for that thing here."<br>He sat down and faced me, sighing again. "I know..." He looked away, up at the top of the crater. "I guess I'll just have to find a way to live here... For a little longer..." He looked down at his hands sadly. He looked a bit troubled.  
>Kat knocked on the side of the ship a few times and tried to jump up onto one of the wings. Dio helped her up and she sat on top. He then extended his hand out to me and I reluctantly took it. He pulled me up and I sat next to him, looking back at our house.<br>"I'm sorry... That you can't go back home..." I said quietly. "But if someone finds that you're here... Then only bad things will happen."  
>He looked at me and smiled. "It's okay."<br>I paused. "Is it, really?"  
>He leaned back a bit, enough that he wouldn't slide off and sighed. His smile never left his face. "You know... It is. If I return then ill only be in trouble. A lot of trouble. And, the truth is.. I don't want to go back. I live a much happier life here."<br>I pursed my lips and paused again. "Dio... Can I ask where you live...?"  
>He seemed to quietly giggle to himself as he put both hands up into the sky. "I live up there! I never stay in one area for long. I'm always traveling." He looked over at me. "Mirella, have you ever been in the sky?"<br>I shook my head, looking back up at the clouds. "No. I haven't ever gotten to go very high. I've never touched the clouds or felt how cold the air is actually up there."  
>He just smiled back at me. "Maybe one day."<br>Kat looked back at us. "Dio, will you take me up into the clouds one day?"  
>Dio laughed. "Of coarse!"<br>I stood up, carefully making my way onto the squishy ground.  
>"So you don't work today, Mirella?" He asked curiously.<br>I shook my head.  
>"Oh." He smiled.<br>I looked at him confused. "Why? What's that look for?"  
>"We should do something fun!" He leaned forward, sliding down next to me.<br>"Like what?" I helped Kat down.  
>"Liiike maybe climbing around on the rooftops like you and Samia do!"<br>I turned away from him, severely uncertain. "Dio..."  
>"What?" He walked around so he could see my face. "Aw, come on! I won't get caught!"<br>I looked away and walked toward the house. "Someone will see us.. You can't be seen!"  
>"Aw please!?" He walked ahead of me, turning around to walk backwards. "When it gets darker?"<br>I sighed.  
>"At least when it's dark, people won't be able to see me!"<br>I walked past him and led Kat into the house where we took off our boots. "I don't know... I'll-"  
>"Please, just one time?" He pleaded.<br>Kat smiled. "Adelina... If its just one time, I think Dio can do a good job at being quiet. He's good at hiding and being quiet!"  
>I sighed again. "Fine. Tonight we'll go and you." I pointed at Dio. "You have to be super careful! This isn't a game. If someone really sees you and knows you're a Guildmember then there are going to be a lot of problems, got it?"<br>He nodded. "Don't worry! I'll be careful!"  
>Samia walked into the room. "Uh... What's going on..?"<br>I shook my head. "Nothing."  
>"Okaaay."<br>Kat looked at her and smiled. "Samiaaaa let's play vanship!"  
>"No. I don't want to play." She flomped down onto the couch.<br>Kat sighed. "Why not? Why aren't you fun?"  
>Samia rolled her eyes. "Get that guy to do it." She pointed at Dio. "He'll carry you all day if he wanted to."<br>Kat looked over at him, eyes sparkling. "Dio, would you really do that!?"  
>He smiled. "I probably could!" He then picked her up and placed her on his shoulders, extending his arms like wings and running around the house, making noises until he got tired.<br>We both took turns playing with Katima until each of us were tired. Samia spent the day away from us all, either hiding in our room or splashing in puddles outside. None of us had much to do. Before I was forced to work, Samia and I would get so bored. Our boredom sparked a curiosity to be sneaky and dangerous. We would go around town trying to steal things without being caught, or hop across rooftops. Now... Samia and I had become distant. We were no longer inseparable sisters. Now all we are, are residents in the same house. Ever since Dio came... She acted this way. She's no longer fun or by my side. Now she's irritable and untrusting.  
>"Hey! It's getting dark out, Dio!" Katrina's small voice squeaked through my thoughts.<br>He immediately sat up from his light slumber from next to me on the couch, a big smile forming on his face. "Awesome!" He exclaimed, hopping to his feet and then turning to me, offering a gloved hand. "Come on, Mirella! Let's go!"  
>I took it, allowing him to help me to my feet. "Now you remember the rules, right? No-"<br>He grabbed both of my hands and slightly hopped with joy. "I know, I know!" I laughed along with him. "Just trust me enough tonight! I haven't done anything to make you really worried, now have I?"  
>I looked up at him sincerely, a slight smile appearing on my face. "Okay. I trust you. Just be careful."<br>He also smiled. "You be careful too!"  
>I let go of his hands and ran for the door, sitting down to lace up my boots. "Hah! Just make sure you can keep up with me!"<br>Katima giggled, handing Dio one of Ms. Tallie's cloaks. "Here Dio! It might be cold outside!" She then handed me one of mine.  
>I took it and thanked her. "It may not be that cold since its still summer, but since the rains have passed it may be a bit chilly." I stood up and draped it across my shoulders, buttoning it at the front and then turning to Dio who did the same with his. "We'll be back home real soon, okay?" I asked Kat as I put my hand on the doorknob.<br>She nodded in response. "Samia's home so I'll be fine! Just have fun!"  
>Dio patted her head as I opened the door. As I turned to step outside I stopped dead in my tracks. Ms. Tallie was right there.<br>"Adelina...? What is going on? Where are you going?" She questioned sternly. "Who is this man?"  
>My legs wanted to give out from under me. I swallowed hard and slowly turned my head to see Dio. Thankfully he had put the large hood over his head and did his best to conceal himself.<br>"I- um... We were helping this man with directions!" I quickly explained.  
>"Oh?" She looked over at him. "Where are you from? Are you a refugee?<br>I jumped in, not wanting Dio to speak. "He! Um.. His family took refuge here and he's looking for them. I told him I would help him by taking him to the house.. Is that okay..?"  
>"Oh! Well as long as you don't take too long."<br>I grabbed Dio's hand and dragged him out of the house. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" I yelled as I ran ahead and searched for the first alley to hide in. I hit my back up against the cold wall and slid to the ground with a huge sigh. "That was terrifying!"  
>Dio laughed. "You're a pretty good liar!"<br>"Hey!" I laughed back at him. "That could've ended badly if you didn't think fast enough!"  
>He put his hand out. "Yeah, yeah. Lets go have some fun!"<br>I sighed and took his hand. "Sure." 


End file.
